Overview: One defining characteristic of the East Asian Peoples affinity bloc is the cultural influence of the Chinese on the other peoples in the region and vice versa. The Great Wall was built to keep out the peoples of the deserts and steppes to the north and west, and yet the Mongols and later the Manchu conquered and ruled China for many centuries. In return, however, China's wealth, power, technology, religion and learning deeply affected these invaders, and those who settled were soon assimilated into its culture.
Aside from the Chinese, other major peoples included in the East Asian Peoples affinity bloc are the Japanese, Koreans, Manchu (who have largely assimilated with the Chinese but have retained some cultural distinction), and Mongolians (whose language is Turkic but whose cultural identity is more closely tied to the Chinese).